Artist and the era

The relationship between artists and their era is clearly reflected in Ansis Epners’ film journals and art films—for example, in the short film about the renowned Latvian painter Maija Tabaka. Of particular importance to Epners was the film director and theorist Sergei Eisenstein, about whom Epners made two short documentaries. These films explore the influence of Eisenstein’s birthplace, the city of Riga, on his creative path, and his significance in the history of world cinema created outside of Hollywood. In the essay-form film “I Was Born in Riga,” Epners blends his own biography, perspectives on art, and reflections on the era, all of which contribute to a deeper understanding of the director’s personality and work.

Art, N. 4

Māksla, N 4

In the newsreel, stories depicting events in Latvia and Lithuania were filmed, including Baltic graphic artists, painters, and amber craftsmen at the Artists’ Creative House in Palanga and among those featured were Lithuanian graphic artists Aldona Skirutytė and Valdas Gurskis.

Tales

Nostāsti

A portrait of the prominent Latvian painter Maija Tabaka, showcasing her work process and life of artists from that time.

Sergei Eizenstein. Introduction

Sergejs Eizenšteins. Priekšvārds

Film director Sergei Eisenstein’s childhood impressions in Riga left a lasting impact on his work, and the film depicts his early experiences growing up in a multicultural city and discovering the allure of art.

Sergejs Eizenšteins. Post Scriptum

In the second part of the diptych, the authors focus on the work of film director Sergei Eisenstein and the challenges he faced as an artist during the Soviet era.

I Was Born in Riga

Esmu dzimis Rīgā

An essayistic film about Ansis Epners’s family and his hometown of Riga, intertwining a broader perspective on Latvian history with his family’s story of deportation and key elements of Epners’s personality and creative work.